The Pointy End

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Cities are incredible things -
perhaps humanity's crowning achievement on this planet; they contain some of
the very best (and the very worst) of us, condensed. I am a sustainable
urbanist - I believe cities offer our best shot at a sustainable future. They
create the conditions for culture, innovation and interaction that are so core
to our society.

For some, cities are a necessary evil
to achieve the financial and career goals that deliver the fulfillment we've
been conditioned to aspire to. Commuting. Traffic. Crowds. Ugly buildings.
Concrete. Highways. Fly-overs. Slums. Crime. Fear. All tolerated for the cash.

And for others still, cities
represent a pathway out of rural poverty entrapment. A chance at a better life.
Jobs. Education. Services. Opportunity. For them and their families. Billions
of rural poor swelling the emerging mega-cities of our future.

So obviously, creating happier cities
exists at many levels. To increase happiness broadly, cities should cater to
each of these and more.

But how?

I think most fundamentally, creating
happier cities is about improving access to them. Housing affordability.
Security and mobility. Rules that allow for informal engagement with society;
trading, living, playing and learning. Making life in cities as accessible as
possible to those who wish to live in them would be the biggest thing I can
think of to make cities happier en masse. Critical to this is how we provide
core services to slums; security, utilities and sanitation. Allowing people to
light their homes and cook their food without threat of fire or asphyxiation,
to shit with dignity and drink the water without fear.

At a more personally familiar level -
that of the young(ish) professional with a family: access to world class work
opportunities balanced with liveability (such as effective public transit, high
quality green space and walkability). In short, providing the benefits of
places like New York and Tokyo while mitigating some of the lifestyle impacts
that often go with them. [Aside: There's a good post on assessing balanced city
performance here.]

And then there's a level of cultural
engagement and aesthetic appreciation of ones surroundings that lifts the spirit
and connects us to other people.

Excellent design - architecture, open
space and public art.

Opera, music and support for the
performing arts.

Awesome neighborhoods, retaining some
edginess (Woodstock or Muizenberg in Cape Town or Braamfontein in Joburg or
what I understand Camden and Brixton once were in London), but also allowing
for renewal and growth. Honoring history and community without stagnation.

Somewhere beautiful to think, to
play, to share, to run, to eat, to drink, to love and to party.

So my happier city?

To know that everyone has safe
lighting and heat, access to clean water and a toilet with privacy; affordable
public transport and walkable neighborhoods; flexible rules; awesome, edgy,
creative neighborhoods; beautiful buildings and parks; kick-ass jobs; a global
reputation and a climate that lets me make my London-based friends jealous.